Shift (The Neturu Chronicles)

by Sarah Carter

  “There isn’t anyone in this world right now that can crack this signal,” Jacob says. “You can’t give humans that much credit.”

  “Superiority complex much.”

  Jacob says, “It’s not a complex, it’s a fact. If you rated me on the IQ levels of humans, I would be off the known chart. Probably like a 200 or something.”

  “Jacob is one of our engineers,” Damien declares. “Very intelligent man.”

  Kayla says, “I can tell. What’s your IQ Damien?”

  “A hundred and forty-five, not that it’s important.”

  Her eyebrows arch. “Wow, I feel dumb.”

  “With the proper coaching, you would be surprised at where you would fall on the charts,” Jacob replies. “It’s stupid. We aren’t human.”

  With a snort, Kayla says, “That’s still new to me. You have to give me a little credit.”

  “Okay.” Jacob chuckles. “Just a little.”

  “Thanks,” Kayla sarcastically replies.

  Kayla looks down at Jackson, and he smiles at her. “This is such a hard job.”

  “Shut up.” Kayla laughs.

  “Excuse me?” Jacob replies.

  “Sorry, I was talking to Jackson. How much longer is this going to take?”

  Jacob answers, “Only a few more seconds. Five, four, three, two, one, okay, you can release it.”

  “You can let go,” Kayla tells Jackson.

  He does, but he starts to slide his hand up her leg. Kayla twists and buckles, falling to the ground. Jackson starts to laugh hysterically. Crawling over on top of her, he asks, “Are you okay?”

  “What is going on over there?” Damien demands.

  “He tickled me and I fell,” Kayla answers, glaring at Jackson.

  “Tell him to keep his hands off of you,” Damien says.

  She looks at Jackson. “Damien says to keep your hands to yourself.”

  “He isn’t here,” Jackson murmurs, ever so quietly.

  “Damien, can I call you back? I want to get dressed,” Kayla declares, pushing Jackson off of her.

  “I will let you be,” Jacob interjects. “We are now able to track you, Miss Hendrickson.”

  Kayla sighs. “I guess that’s a good thing. You can’t see me, right? It’s not like you can see me through a satellite and watch what I do, right?”

  “No, it just sends a signal,” Jacob replies. “No need to worry.”

  “All right, have a good day. Thank you, Jacob,” Damien says.

  “Good day to you both.”

  Jackson stands up, holding Kayla’s pants for her. She gets up, gives him a look, and then slides one leg in. “Can I please call you back?” Kayla asks Damien.

  “Call me when you get on the road,” Damien says. “I’m going to instruct the guards to meet up with you. Now that they have your signal, it will be easier for them to find you.”

  “Sounds good, maybe I’m overreacting.”

  “No, this guy has gone too far. We don’t know what he wants. I’ll meet you in Vegas tonight. Once I’m with you, you’ll be safe.”

  Kayla laughs. “You’re a one man army?”

  “No, I always have a protective detail.”

  “Like…you have people follow you around? You mean this whole time...” She lets him fill in the blanks, knowing he understands what she is implying.

  Damien hesitates and then says, “Maybe.”

  “Seriously?” Kayla exclaims. “You never told me that! Please tell me they weren’t watching us when we were kissing each other.”

  “No.” Damien snorts. “They never entered the house.”

  “Oh good, I don’t want people watching us make out.” Turning abruptly, Jackson unzips the door of the tent and leaves. Kayla stares after him. “Let me call you when we’re on the road.”

  “Okay, dear,” Damien says. “Talk to you soon.”

  “Bye,” Kayla says. She follows Jackson out of the tent. She watches him change his shirt by the car. “Hey, are you all right?”

  “Yeah,” Jackson murmurs. “We should get going.”

  Kayla puts her hand on his arm. “Was it the making out comment?”

  He shakes his head. “No, obviously you guys do. I’m not stupid.”

  “Well, it’s not like making out, making out,” Kayla replies. “We never feel each other up or anything.”

  “Yeah, okay,” Jackson mumbles, turning away from her. “I really don’t need to hear about this, and you don’t have to explain anything to me. What happens between you and Damien is between you two.”

  Grabbing his arm, Kayla turns him around to face her. “Jackson, what are we doing?”

  “Packing up to go,” he mumbles, stepping away from her. “Get dressed in the tent. I’ll take it down when you’re done.”

  “I’m going to get dressed in the bathrooms, so I can brush my teeth and stuff.”

  Jackson shakes his head. “Go ahead. I’ll start taking everything apart.”

  Kayla pulls on Jackson’s arm again. “Come on, talk to me.”

  “About what?” Jackson snaps. “About how when I think of you kissing Damien it makes me want to punch something!”

  “Then tell me to stop! Tell me you want to be the one kissing me,” Kayla yells.

  Jackson growls and turns away. “I can’t do that, Kayla.”

  “Are you telling me you don’t want me? Tell me that and I won’t ever bring it up again,” Kayla shouts.

  He turns around. “Didn’t you say that last night?”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Kayla retorts harshly. “Thanks for reminding me.” She turns to the trunk, grabs some clothes, and slams it shut.

  “Be nice to your car,” Jackson groans. “It didn’t do anything.”

  “No, you did,” Kayla growls and turns and walks away.

  When she returns, they are both silent. Kayla helps pick everything up and they load it into the car. She grabs one of the chilled shakes and some brownies. Fuming, Kayla sits in the front seat and eats them. She curls up into a ball and turns her back to Jackson as he gets in, so that he can’t see the hurt in her eyes.

  “Is that everything?” Jackson asks, closing his door.

  “Yes,” Kayla answers sharply.

  He starts the car but doesn’t go anywhere. “Please don’t be angry with me. I’m not trying to hurt you.”

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “Kayla,” Jackson starts. “What do you want me to say?”

  “Nothing, I don’t want you to say anything,” Kayla mumbles, putting her feet up on the dashboard. “Just drive.”

  Jackson looks at her. “I’m going to say something because I don’t want you mad. I like you happy.”

  She opens her mouth and then closes it. “Get me to Vegas,” Kayla says. “Get me there so I can see Damien.”

  “All right.” Jackson sighs as he backs the car out of their campsite.

  When they get back on the highway, Kayla reaches over and turns the radio on full blast. She leans toward her door and stares out the window so she doesn’t have to look at Jackson. A little while later her cell phone rings. “Yeah,” she says.

  “Yeah? That’s what I get?” Damien chirps.

  “Sorry.” Kayla sighs. “How are you?”

  “How am I, how are you? You sound horrible, did something happen? Are you guys even on the road yet?”

  Kayla turns farther away from Jackson. “I’m fine. Just in a bad mood. We’re back on the highway. Aren’t you tracking me?”

  “The ship is, not me. I’m not going to intrude on your life like that. Why? Do you want me to follow you on my phone? I can.” Damien chuckles. “But I think that would be a little overbearing.”

  “I miss you,” Kayla whispers, staring out the window.

  Damien responds, “Wow, I miss you too. I’ll see you tonight. Are you okay? What happened?”

  “Nothing. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

  “Isn’t it the wrong side of the tent?”

&n
bsp; Kayla laughs lightly. “I just want to be near you. I want out of this car.” She hears Jackson exhale loudly but ignores him.

  “What did Jackson do now?”

  “Nothing,” Kayla answers. “We just lock horns sometimes.”

  “Do I need to punch him?”

  “No, I’ll do that if need be.”

  “Okay, well, two guards should meet up with you within the hour. They have Jackson’s number. I don’t want you to answer your phone for any number that you don’t know.”

  “Sounds like a plan. What are their names?”

  “Cane and Toby,” Damien replies.

  Laughing, Kayla says, “They don’t sound like tough guys.”

  “Toby is the one you need to be scared of,” Damien states. “Trust me.”

  “Are they going to be mean to me? Am I going to be uncomfortable around them?”

  “No,” Damien replies. “They are actually both really nice guys. Cane has a great sense of humor.”

  Kayla smiles. “That’s good. I need to be put in a better mood.”

  “I’ll do everything I can to make you happy. We’re going to be in Vegas. There’s plenty to do.”

  “Is there a shifters club?”

  Damien answers, “Yeah, of course, it’s Vegas. How do you know about those?”

  “Jackson brought it up. I want to go to one.”

  “Tonight?” Damien inquires.

  “Sure, we’re going to be there in like five hours.”

  Damien says, “They won’t open until much later, but there’s plenty for us to do until then. I’ll be there around the same time you are, probably a little sooner.”

  “That sounds good.” Kayla sighs. “I’m done with driving.”

  “Hang up the phone,” Jackson instructs.

  “Excuse me?”

  He grabs the phone and ends the call. “We need to stop doing this.”

  “You just hung up on Damien! What is wrong with you?” Kayla exclaims.

  Jackson looks at her. “Kayla, I care. Okay? I do, a lot, but if we decided to be together—”

  “Jackson,” Kayla spits out. “I said I was done talking about this and I am. If there was a window, you lost it.”

  Jackson hesitates for a moment. “I want to be your friend, that’s what I’m worried about right now,” he pleads. “I don’t want you mad at me.”

  “Hanging up on Damien is not going to help that,” Kayla shouts. “I’m angry and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.”

  “What do I have to do to make you not mad?”

  Kayla throws up her hands. “I don’t know!”

  “Think of something, what can I do right now to put a smile on your face?”

  “Let me drive,” Kayla orders. “And don’t tell Damien if I get pulled over.”

  Laughing, Jackson says, “You want me to let you race your car down the highway?”

  “Yes,” Kayla says, quickly sitting up and turning toward him.

  “Fine,” Jackson replies, pulling over on the side of the highway. “Get out and switch seats.”

  Kayla jumps out of the car and sprints to the driver’s side. When they get back in, Kayla’s phone rings. Picking it up, Kayla says, “Sorry, Jackson was being a pain in the ass.”

  “When some strange guy is stalking you, please do not abruptly hang up the phone. It scares me,” Damien says. “Now, what’s going on with you two?”

  “Nothing, we’re fine.”

  “You sound like you’re in a much better mood.”

  Looking over her shoulder, Kayla pulls out onto the highway. “Much better.”

  “Did Jackson apologize?”

  “Sort of. So these guys are going to call us when they get close?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Get off the phone if you’re going to drive,” Jackson whispers.

  “Hey, I’m going to eat something. Can I call you back in a bit?”

  “Sure,” Damien replies. “I’m just driving.”

  “You shouldn’t be driving and talking on the phone,” Kayla scolds him.

  “Neither should you,” Jackson hisses quietly.

  “It’s called Bluetooth, dear. I’ll get you one, but for right now I’ll let you go. Stay out of trouble, and when the guard meets up with you, play nice.”

  With a smirk, Kayla replies, “What’s the fun in that?”

  “Oh, boy,” Damien says with a chuckle. “Go eat. I’ll talk to you in a little bit.”

  “Okay, bye,” Kayla says too quickly and hangs up. She grips the steering wheel and smiles. “Ready?”

  “Our parents are going to be really upset if you kill us,” Jackson states. “Just so you know.”

  That doesn’t stop Kayla. She floors the gas pedal and takes off down the highway. They don’t get very far before she slows down. “Holy cow.”

  “Yeah, it’s a sports car, Kayla. It goes really fast, really quickly,” Jackson says.

  “I see that. Whoa. Okay, now that that’s out of my system.” Kayla snorts. “Why did I let him buy me such a powerful car?”

  “Because he’s hot and the car was free. I would give in too.” Jackson chuckles. “You know you just lied to the guy you’re dating, right? Too easily, I might add.”

  Kayla looks at him and cocks an eyebrow. “Are you going to tell on me?”

  “Are we still fighting?” Jackson asks with a grin.

  Kayla glares at him. “No, I don’t think I could be mad at you for very long.”

  “That’s because of my glowing personality.”

  “No, it’s probably more because you’re pretty to look at,” Kayla replies. “Your personality sucks.”

  She sees him roll his eyes. “Whatever,” Jackson groans. “I’m awesome.”

  “Mmm, I think I’m going to enjoy driving for a while.”

  “You should be fine for the hour that it takes to meet up with these guys,” Jackson says. “If you start to feel twitchy though, you have to pull over.”

  “Duh, turn on some good music.”

  He picks up her iPod. “Do you even have good music on here?”

  “Yes! Turn something on. You listened to my music all day yesterday.”

  “Good point,” Jackson replies. “It’s my turn.” He takes out his phone and plugs it into the car’s stereo system. “Let me introduce you to some new music.” He presses play.

  Some song that Kayla has never heard before comes on. They listen for a minute and then Kayla says, “This isn’t bad.”

  “Told you. See, I have a wider range of interests from living all around the world.”

  “Sometimes I forget that you’ve done that. I haven’t even left the country. Of course, my parents were probably afraid to take me on the plane.”

  Jackson smiles at her. “I’ll take you someplace as soon as you have your shifting under control. Maybe our first spring break when we’re in college.”

  “I don’t want to go to some party place. I want to go someplace cool, like Italy.”

  “We can do that. How about Venice?”

  “That would be awesome,” Kayla sighs.

  They settle into a comfortable silence for a while and listen to the music. “Are you going through withdrawal?”

  She turns and looks at him. “Huh?”

  “From singing at the top of your lungs. This is the first time you’ve been quiet the whole trip.”

  “Shut up,” Kayla snaps playfully. “If you would turn on something I actually know, I’d have something to sing to.”

  He grins. “Maybe later. You can serenade the guys while we drive to Vegas.”

  Shaking her head vigorously, Kayla says, “Oh no, that would be embarrassing.”

  “You sing beautifully; always sing your heart out.”

  Kayla smiles. After another half hour of driving, Jackson’s phone rings. “Is that them?” Kayla asks.

  Jackson picks up his phone. “I think so.” He slides the bar on the screen to answer the call. “Hello? Yes, this is. The next
exit, okay. Kayla, take the exit coming up.”

  “Okay,” Kayla says, taking the off-ramp.

  “Turn into the large parking lot to the right,” Jackson guides Kayla before speaking into his phone. “We’ll be there in a minute. Okay, bye.” He points to a car in the back of the parking lot. “I think that’s them.”

  Kayla pulls up next to them. She eyes the two guys who step out of the vehicle beside them. She isn’t impressed. Jackson is bigger than both of them. “They’re supposed to protect me? You’re scarier than they are.”

  Laughing, Jackson says, “No, they are scary, trust me. If you want guards who know how to kill our kind, it’s them. They are also trained in how to use our weaponry. Come on, let’s get out.”

  She turns the car off and opens the door. The two guys walk towards her. Kayla smiles awkwardly. “Hi.”

  The blond comes over and hugs her. Whispering in her ear, he says, “Hug me back like I’m a really old friend.”

  Kayla complies. “What’s your name?” she murmurs.

  “Cane,” the guy replies. “That’s Toby.”

  Toby nods with a serious expression. Kayla raises her eyebrows. “What’s the plan?” she inquires.

  “We’ll get into your car,” Cane replies. “I’ll drive.”

  “Be nice to my car, it’s new.”

  “If we get into a high-speed chase, I make no promises,” Cane quips with a grin.

  Kayla rolls her eyes. “If we get into a chase, we have more to worry about than my car.”

  “There won’t be a chase of any kind,” Toby says. “We would just get out of the car and kill them.”

  “Toby,” Cane draws out. “Don’t scare the girl.”

  Toby shrugs. “It’s the truth.”

  Her eyes widen. “Oh wow, that makes me less nervous.”

  “Just think of it this way,” Cane states. “You’re in good hands.”

  “We’ll sit in the backseat,” Jackson says. “We need to move stuff around.”

  After everyone is settled in the car, Cane rubs his hands together. “I can’t wait to see what this car can do.”

  “Hey!” Kayla exclaims.

  He turns around. “I was only joking.” Turning to Toby, he says, “Let them know we’re leaving.”

  Bringing his hand up, Toby presses right below his ear. “We have secured her and are leaving right now.”

  “Who is he talking to?” Kayla asks Jackson.

  Jackson smirks. “They have communicators planted in them. That way there’s no need to have anything physically on them that may give them away if they are ever captured.”